The first ray of morning sunlight slowly rose from the edge of the horizon.
The slumbering New Eridu began to awaken.
It had been three full years since the great battle against the Ethereal army.
Three years was enough to change many things, and for New Eridu—still struggling to recover—it was no exception.
The appearance of the future Zhong Ling had left an indelible mark on the Zhong Yan of this timeline, so much so that whenever he looked at this timeline's Zhong Ling, he couldn't help but see the shadow of the future one.
Fortunately, he was a rational person. He knew that this timeline's Zhong Ling would not walk the same path as the future one, so he didn't completely treat them as the same person.
As for the state of New Eridu over these three years—well, the changes had been quite numerous.
First, the contraction of Hollow Zero led to the gradual disappearance of Hollows across New Eridu.
However, this wasn't necessarily good news for the city, since it relied on Ether as an energy source to keep its systems running.
Thankfully, the bad news didn't last long before new information emerged.
Authorities discovered a brand-new energy source underground—its quantity vast enough to compensate for the loss of Ether.
Soon after this discovery, New Eridu launched a sweeping purge of all remaining Hollows.
Already shrunken from collapse, the Hollows were nearly eradicated after the cleansing.
During this time, Zhong Yan also took action—he harvested a massive amount of Ether from within the Hollows.
The amount of Ether he collected could sustain New Eridu for twenty years.
And he did this for one primary reason—Airi.
Due to the Exaltists' modifications, Airi could no longer survive without Ether. The most pressing task now was to find a replacement energy source that could sustain her life internally; otherwise, it wouldn't be a permanent solution.
The Ether he had stockpiled was enough to keep Airi alive for at least a thousand years, so for now, the issue wasn't truly pressing.
Aside from that, the biggest change in New Eridu was the shift in its top leadership.
Originally, the city's sole authority was the Mayor, but that position had since been abolished. In its place stood a new organization called the [Council of Representatives].
There were eight council members, and all major decisions regarding New Eridu would now be made by vote among them.
Zhao Anmen, as the head of the Public Security Bureau, was chosen as one of the eight council members and enjoyed the highest authority.
Under his direction, the Nin-Village organization reemerged into public view—not as criminals, but as redeemers.
With that, Zhao Anmen's long-held dream was finally realized.
The only regret was that those who left during the village's lowest point never returned.
At the same time, after the eight council members came into power, their attitude toward Uchiha took a complete 180-degree turn. Not only was he hailed as the hero who saved New Eridu, but a memorial plaza was also established in his honor.
At the plaza stood a statue of Uchiha. The number of daily visitors was so overwhelming that, had they charged admission, it would have been an endless stream of income.
Incidentally, ever since the great battle three years ago, Zhong Yan had rarely appeared in public as Uchiha.
After all, the Hollow disasters had been resolved, and the Exaltists could no longer stir up trouble. He simply had no reason to take action.
Fight criminals? Perhaps the Zhong Ling who returned to the past would do such a thing—but not him. That simply wasn't his job.
...
That day, heavy snow was falling from the sky—it was the final day before the New Year.
At night, on a snow-covered avenue, Zhong Yan trudged forward wrapped in a thick cotton coat, his steps unsteady.
If one looked closely, they would see a small figure clinging to his back.
It was Zhong Ling, only four years old.
Their destination was the Victoria Housekeeping Estate. The Mistress had invited the entire family to a grand New Year's Eve banquet.
Zhong Yan did not refuse such an invitation. After all, he was now deeply bound to the Victoria Housekeeping in a relationship that could not be severed.
Though the Mistress was known for her scheming, her intentions were never malicious—that was why Zhong Yan accepted her.
The estate gates were wide open, clearly awaiting someone's arrival. There were no maids or butlers nearby to welcome guests, likely due to the severe weather.
That Mistress was known for her compassion and took good care of her servants. Otherwise, so many wouldn't have flocked to work here.
Inside the estate, the snow underfoot lessened significantly. Zhong Yan quickened his pace and soon found the banquet hall.
Outside the hall, Lycaon and Rina had been waiting for some time. As soon as they saw Zhong Yan, they stepped forward to greet him and led him inside.
Seeing this, Corin thoughtfully brought over a clean change of clothes and helped Zhong Yan out of his snow-drenched coat.
Naturally, Zhong Ling received the same treatment.
"I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Zhong Yan—we should've sent someone to pick you up. We just didn't expect the weather to be this harsh..." Lycaon said apologetically once Zhong Yan had settled in.
Zhong Yan, holding Zhong Ling, walked to the fireplace to warm themselves before replying, "It's fine—we're here, aren't we? Have the others arrived yet? If not, I can use Kamui to fetch them."
"That won't be necessary. The two madams and Young Master Zhong Lan have all arrived," Lycaon replied.
There was no need to mention Ellen and Zhong Xi—they lived in the Victoria Estate and weren't considered guests.
"Brother!"
Just as Lycaon finished speaking, a tender, childish voice rang out. Everyone turned to see four-year-old Zhong Xi running toward them, her face lit with excitement.
Behind her, a shark-like tail wagged vigorously from joy as she charged straight for Zhong Ling.
"Xixi! I missed you so much!" Zhong Ling cried, opening his arms to embrace her without hesitation.
Seeing this scene, Rina's face lit up with a doting smile. "Young Master Zhong Ling and Miss Zhong Xi are still so close. The bond between siblings is truly touching."
Lycaon sighed softly at her comment, unsure of what to say.
Still, for siblings—especially the three of them—their bond truly needed to be strong.